1/28/2009

AustraliaMelbourne is preparing for its LONGEST HEAT WAVE IN A CENTURY, which may push energy demand to records. The Victorian state capital may have four days of temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) from today. That would be the longest stretch since 1908. A high pressure system over the Tasman sea is pushing northerly winds over southeastern Australia, causing extreme heat in Victoria and South Australia. “The high pressure system is hardly predicted to move for several days and that’s definitely flowing through into a very prolonged period of extreme heat. It’s certainly UNUSUAL.” Train tracks in Melbourne buckled because of the heat, causing cancellations and delays. “The heat wave also posed a serious fire risk for the state. This week’s heat wave is longer and hotter than nearly all Victorians have experienced in a lifetime.”